


In Good Company

by violasarecool



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alcohol, Brief PTSD Flashback, Gen, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 01:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20331895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: fox doesnt beat around the bush: he sees another trans guy, he befriends him.





	In Good Company

The Herald's Rest was already bustling with movement when Fox got back that evening; most of the tables were already taken, and as he stepped inside, there were already people behind him impatiently waiting for him to get out of the way. Fox ignored them, scanning the room for an empty table. Instead, his gaze fell on a lone, fully-armoured figure at the bar; Fox's mouth tugged up into a grin.

_Oh hello._

Krem sat with one side to the bar, one hand curled around the mug on the bar beside him; his head turned now and then, gaze flicking out across the tavern. As Fox pushed toward him through the growing crowd, their eyes met, and Krem blinked, pausing with a visible double-take. His head tipped in a look that was something like recognition.

Fox stopped a foot or so away, leaning against the bar in front of him. "Hey, I'm trans," he said, grin widening as Krem choked on a laugh.

"Uh, hi," Krem said, eyes crinkled in amusement, "you know, I think most people start with names."

"Yeah," Fox shrugged. He held out a hand. "I'm Fox."

They shook hands. "Krem."

"Yeah, I know," Fox nodded, "we were talking to the Inquisitor earlier, they told us about your team."

"All good things, I hope," Krem said, and he gestured to a stool beside him.

"'Course," Fox said; he swung a leg over the stool, side pressed against the bar. "From what I hear, there's not much bad to talk about."

"But plenty of _bad-talk_ and back-talk_,_" Krem said with a grin.

Fox snorted. "Man, if you knew some of the things our lot in Montsimmard used to say about our superiors... Some of the humans got away with trash-talking them right to their faces. I mean," he made a half-shrugging motion, "friendly shit, but still."

"You're Orlesian?" Krem said, eyebrows raised. "I would have guessed Fereldan, by your accent."

"Oh, yeah, I am. Fereldan, I mean. Can't speak Orlesian _for sheet,"_ he said, badly mimicking a heavy Orlesian accent. Krem laughed. "Ferelden didn't want me, though, so I got passed off to the Orlesian Wardens."

"Not a bad gig, though," Krem said.

"Nah, it was pretty good. It's kind of nice not having anyone to answer to now, though," he wrinkled his nose, "uh, more or less? I mean, short of Weisshaupt calling us back _again_, but from what I hear, they've got plenty of their own shit to worry about."

Krem nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't there, but Chief says the Wardens are a mess right now."

"And they can deal with it on their own," Fox said cheerfully. He raised a hand as the bartender came back their way. "Hey, can I get a drink?"

The dwarf nodded at him. "Whaddya want?"

"Whatever you've got," Fox said, making a throwaway gesture with his hand, "it's been so long since we've had time for drinking, I just want something that does the job," he said, with a grin at Krem, who grinned back. As the dwarf walked away, Fox leaned his arm on the bar, turning fully back toward Krem. "What about you, where are you from?"

"Tevinter," Krem said.

Fox froze, grin fading as the word sunk in. "Tevinter," he repeated flatly, a cold feeling in his gut—_he was standing in Denerim, gate barred; he was in the alienage, Tevinter slavers at his swords; he was crouched by a cage packed with elves__—_

"I know," Krem said, and Fox blinked hard, the noise from the tavern crashing back down around his ears. His eyes flicked back up to Krem, latching onto the here and now: the bitter smile that crossed Krem's face was like looking in a mirror. "Believe me, I got out for a reason. Well, that and they just about killed me for having the audacity to _exist."_

Fox forced his shoulders down; he took a deep slow breath. "Right." _Not Krem's fault. Wasn't him._

The bartender returned carrying a large mug which Fox accepted gratefully. He took a large gulp, then another, exhaustion hitting him in a wave. Krem glanced at him, brows lowering slightly when Fox didn't stop drinking. "Hey, uh, you okay?" Krem said, as Fox banged the mug back down, empty.

"Yeah," Fox said, staring down at the mug. "Sure." He stood up abruptly, glanced around, then walked off without a backwards glance.

* * *

_Well that could have gone better._

Krem watched as Fox stalked away, mouth pulling into a grimace. He'd had worse reactions to the whole _Tevinter_ thing, but, well, he'd also had better. _And here I thought we were getting along pretty well._

Krem was just turning back to the bar when he heard Bull's voice; he glanced up in time to see him standing over Fox, who _jumped_ back as if they'd just collided. _Must be pretty distracted if he didn't notice_ Bull _of all people_. Krem watched as Bull spoke to him, then, after a moment, gestured to the door. Fox nodded slowly, and they walked to the door, Fox following Bull almost mechanically.

Half an hour passed. Krem moved to sit with some of the Chargers for a while, then was left alone again when Dalish persuaded the rest of them into a stone-throwing competition over the ramparts. He ended up at a table in the corner, nursing a second drink when the door opened yet another innumerable time, and Bull ducked inside, followed closely by Fox.

Krem watched as Bull scanned the room, eyes falling on his a moment later; Bull raised a hand, ducking to mutter something to Fox before making his way over.

"Hey, chief," Krem said as they approached; he glanced at Fox, but the other man was focused on dragging a chair over from an adjacent table.

"Krem," Bull boomed, grabbing another chair in one large hand. "Fox says you've been talking about us."

Krem gave a somewhat forced laugh. "Always about you, huh?" he said, as if he didn't notice the blatant excuse for conversation.

"And the team. And ale, that's important too."

"Oh, sure."

"So," Bull said cheerfully, turning to Fox, "how d'you like it here? Krem's not scaring you off with wild stories about the Chargers, is he?" Krem gave Fox an awkward glance that Bull appeared not to—well, _pretended_ not to—notice. "I mean, _most_ of them are true, but no demons, at least." Krem gave him a disbelieving look, and Bull made a face. "Before now, anyway. Never know what you're going to get when you follow the Inquisitor."

"No, we do," Krem said wryly.

"And it's _fucking demons,"_ Bull muttered.

Fox gave a low laugh, eyes flicking between Bull and Krem; Krem began to relax a little. "You been here long?" Fox asked.

"With the Inquisition?" Bull clarified. "Yeah, relatively speaking. Longer than some of the others, anyway."

"Chargers joined back when the Inquisition was running out of a little village in the mountains," Krem added. "Gotta say, this place is a step up. More space to train, drink, and sleep; we've even got proper beds."

"Been a while since I've slept in a bed," Fox agreed.

"Kinda weird, right?" Bull said. "And too quiet. I keep waking up thinking I've gone deaf."

Krem shot him a grin. "That'd be rough, chief, with only one good eye left."

"Hey, I'd manage."

"Uh huh."

"I leave the windows open," Fox said, and they glanced back at him. "Less quiet."

Bull nodded. "That works."

"For you, maybe," Krem said, "our side doesn't _have_ a window."

"Does it have _doors_?" Fox put in.

Krem shot him an amused look—now _that_ was more like the Fox who introduced himself earlier. "Got ourselves a smartass, huh? Yeah, I guess we _could_ leave a door open, though we might risk scarring anyone nearby when Rocky goes wandering with his bits out."

"Oh no," Fox said dryly.

"Are... are you being sarcastic right now?" Krem demanded, "you're telling me, what, most Fereldans are _perfectly happy_ to walk around butt-naked?"

"Weeeell," Fox said, mouth quirking up in a real grin now, and Bull laughed. "No," he said, "Fereldans, no. _Wardens,_ absolutely."

"Really," Bull said, leaning forward. "So those Wardens hanging around the place...?"

"I mean, not _everyone_ sleeps naked," Fox allowed, "but where I was, most of us have no shame." He shrugged. "My squad was pretty bad for it. And there's never anyone _important_ around, so no one gives a damn."

"You never had... problems?" Krem asked, shooting him a curious look.

"With being trans?" Fox shook his head. "Nah. You know, like half my squad alone was trans, or nonbinary. Bit of a Warden _thing_. We recruit people who tend to get overlooked."

"And you defeated five blights with them," Bull said grudgingly, "even if it ended in _demons._"

"Not over yet," Fox said firmly. "There's still some of us left, and I'll clear out the deep roads myself if it means we're not remembered just for _mass demon-possession."_

Bull grunted. "Might have your work cut out for you."

"Difficult situations are also a bit of a Warden thing," Fox said dryly, and Bull chuckled.

"I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure they're also a bit of an _Inquisition_ 'thing'," Bull said.

"Guess I'm in good company, then," Fox said with a shrug and a sideways glance at Krem.

Krem smiled. "You definitely are."


End file.
